'Skin Is In' on Dotglu's Jergens Update

NEW YORK Seven months after Jergens repositioned its moisturizers as a fashion brand, the company's Web site is following suit with a redesign and relaunch by Dotglu.

Dotglu, the interactive unit of Kirshenbaum Bond + Partners in New York, had been working on sister brands Ban and Biore before winning the Jergens duties in May.

"It was almost as if you were standing at a shelf and looking at the product," Mark Fithian, vice president of interactive marketing, said about Jergens' former site. "The product was the hero, it wasn't really about the benefit of the brand.

The new site opens with a flash presentation that begins with KB+P's tagline, "Skin is in," and loads a menu that allows users to choose among Jergens' "Shimmer," "Firming" and "Ultra Healing" products.

Each offering is paired with copy and an image that expresses the product's promise. The "Ultra Healing" product, for example, fades a cracked palate over the image of a nearly nude model (she wears earmuffs and a pink fur).

The brand was positioned in the past ... as a comfort or sort of medicinal kind of approach," said Fithian. "We looked at it from a different angle. Skin is one of the ultimate beauty accessories that a woman has."

Initially, ads and packaging will drive traffic to the Web site, said Fithian. Dotglu also will orchestrate online promotions and e-mail campaigns to generate visits.

"You've got to give these people a reason to come back to the site. A lot of companies are guilty of launching and leaving," he said. "We really have to make a commitment. As we innovate, the site needs to reflect it. I could see us updating it on a monthly basis."

NEW YORK Seven months after Jergens repositioned its moisturizers as a fashion brand, the company's Web site is following suit with a redesign and relaunch by Dotglu.

Dotglu, the interactive unit of Kirshenbaum Bond + Partners in New York, had been working on sister brands Ban and Biore before winning the Jergens duties in May.

"It was almost as if you were standing at a shelf and looking at the product," Mark Fithian, vice president of interactive marketing, said about Jergens' former site. "The product was the hero, it wasn't really about the benefit of the brand.

The new site opens with a flash presentation that begins with KB+P's tagline, "Skin is in," and loads a menu that allows users to choose among Jergens' "Shimmer," "Firming" and "Ultra Healing" products.

Each offering is paired with copy and an image that expresses the product's promise. The "Ultra Healing" product, for example, fades a cracked palate over the image of a nearly nude model (she wears earmuffs and a pink fur).

The brand was positioned in the past ... as a comfort or sort of medicinal kind of approach," said Fithian. "We looked at it from a different angle. Skin is one of the ultimate beauty accessories that a woman has."

Initially, ads and packaging will drive traffic to the Web site, said Fithian. Dotglu also will orchestrate online promotions and e-mail campaigns to generate visits.

"You've got to give these people a reason to come back to the site. A lot of companies are guilty of launching and leaving," he said. "We really have to make a commitment. As we innovate, the site needs to reflect it. I could see us updating it on a monthly basis."